Alumni on the Move

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has appointed Michael J. Howard, ’90, to the Board of Trustees of the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System (SRPS), the organization that administers death, disability and retirement benefits for nearly 412,000 active and former State employees, teachers, State police, judges and law enforcement officers. Howard serves on SRPS’ Audit Committee and its Member, Corporate Governance and Securities Litigation Committees. His term runs through June 30, 2023.

Howard, a Certified Public Accountant, is the Founder and Managing Member of the MJH Group, a private investment and management consulting firm, where he provides private investment in early-stage technology companies and serves as a strategic advisor to corporate executives, entrepreneurs, government officials and high-net-worth individuals. Before founding the MJH Group, he worked with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance and, before that, with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ high-technology team. During his extensive public accounting career with PwC and other public accounting firms, he led or co-led audits of state and local governments, venture-backed media companies, iconic consumer brands and the largest casino and resort in North America, among many other projects. He recently served as Board Treasurer and Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee for the Maryland Technology Development Corporation. Howard was born and raised in Baltimore City and earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Morgan.

Recovery Centers of America (RCA) Capital Region has promoted Marcus Smith, ’04, to Chief Executive Officer. Smith now leads the substance use disorder treatment facility and its team of addiction professionals to provide high-quality treatment and deepen the organization’s relationship with the local community. He formerly served as Clinical Director of RCA Capital Region. Smith brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having worked in the clinical treatment field for more than a decade. He is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, specializing in the treatment of adults experiencing depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and sexual and general trauma. Smith is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a clinical member of the Association of the Treatment of Sexual Abusers and holds affiliations with the American Counseling Association, Maryland Counseling Association and D.C. Mental Health Counseling Association, among other clinical professional bodies. He received his bachelor’s degree in communications from Morgan.

“Growing up in southern Maryland, an area deeply affected by the opioid pandemic, I had so many opportunities from education, athletics and community,” Smith says. “My goal is to help ensure others can benefit from the same meaningful life experiences I had.”

Maria Porter Thompson,

’94, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Hoffman & Associates, a leading developer of innovative mixed-use and residential communities across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Thompson joined the company in 2015 as the Vice President of Construction and has been promoted four times in only seven years, now managing the operating divisions of the company. Thompson has played an instrumental role in the successful delivery of Phase 1 and Phase 2 of The Wharf, an award-winning, $3.6-billion, mixed-use neighborhood featuring 3.3 million square feet of development along Washington, D.C.’s waterfront. This fall, under Thompson’s leadership, Phase 2 will conclude, and construction of The Wharf neighborhood will be complete. Thompson also oversees all ongoing projects for Hoffman & Associates, which total more than $6 billion of new development.

Thompson serves on the boards of DC Building Industry Association and Women in Construction and is an active member of African American Real Estate Professionals and Urban Land Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Morgan and a master’s degree in business administration and management from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

Larry D. Turner, ’78, has been appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the United States Senate as Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor. Before taking his current post, he had served in other Senior Executive Service positions: as the department’s Acting Inspector General since June 2020 and, before that, as Deputy Inspector General since September 2014. As head of the Office of Inspector General, Turner leads a nationwide, independent oversight organization with an annual budget of $91 million. He is one of the highest-ranking members of the U.S. government, overseeing criminal investigators, auditors, attorneys, subject-matter experts and management professionals whose mission is to detect and deter waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement in Department of Labor programs and to promote economy, efficiency and effectiveness in department operations. Turner, an alumnus of Morgan’s ROTC Bear Battalion, is one of the 30 presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed U.S. Inspectors General, of whom only three are African American. He joined eight other Inspectors General who were invited to the White House to discuss the government’s work on the COVID-19 pandemic with President Biden this past spring. A Life Member of the MSU Alumni Association, he and his wife have raised or contributed a generous sum toward the renovation of the University Memorial Chapel.

Monica L. White, ’98 and ’19, Transit Services Administrator for the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, has been named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women for 2022 by The Daily Record. The annual recognition, now in its 27th year, recognizes outstanding achievements by women, in their professions, in community leadership and in mentoring.

White has held her current post with the Baltimore City DOT since June of 2020. Before that, she gained more than six years’ experience at Maryland Transit Administration, where she rose to the position of Regional Planner. She holds two degrees from Morgan: a Bachelor of Science in business management and a Master of Science in urban transportation.

Long active in addressing Baltimore community concerns, White is a member of the local Young Professionals in Transportation and has served on the board of House of Ruth Maryland, among her other civic involvements.

“Community service has been pivotal in my personal leadership journey,” she told The Daily Record, “as it has given me the training ground to hone my leadership abilities (and) acquire knowledge and skills above and beyond my very technical career arena of transportation…. Being of service to my community is important as I believe we all have a responsibility to leave our small piece of this world better than how we found it.”

Brandon G. Wilson, Dr.P.H., ’20, has joined Community Catalyst as the Director of the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation. Dr. Wilson now leads the center’s mission to deliver better care, better value and better health for every community, particularly vulnerable and historically underserved populations, by bringing the community’s experience to the forefront of health systems transformation and health reform efforts. Wilson joined the center after his tenure as a Senior Public Health Advisor with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Minority Health, where he recently received the CMS Impact Award for advancing health equity and accessibility in COVID-19 for persons living with disabilities. Earlier, he received awards from National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, for his work in identifying a solution to a global infectious disease threat by advancing a malaria vaccine through a clinical trial. Wilson completed the Doctor of Public Health program at Morgan. In addition to his work with Community Catalyst, he holds public health faculty appointments at Purdue University and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.